Camp Tyler Fairfax Co Virginia July 14^th 1861 A.D.

 

Dear Mother

                        I once more take my pen to write you a few lines although I wroate to you last by Spalding. I am in hopes to get a line from you before this reaches you.

 

We have done no fighting yet but there is a right smart prospect of a brush before us now. we have had orders to pack our knapsacks and have them ready to send to Alexandria tomorrow morning, and we are to march upon Fairfax Courthouse and if we succeed in takeing it our knapsacks will be sent to us on the cars. we may march to night but probably not until Monday night. our Engineering Corps are at work cutting a road for Artillery so as to get in the enemies rear. there is 18 pieces of Artillery here now ready to play upon fairfax Masqued Batteries The Texans Rangers have been so nigh some of them that they were frightened and beat to quarters expecting to see some of the infernal Yankies comeing for them. some of our 3^d Regt boys have been into fairfax even and taken a skeched plan of their fortifications and got back safe and gave them to the General.

 

there is about 30,000 troops here ready to have a brush, probabably the enemy will not make much of a stand at Fairfax they have about 30 cannons in Masked Batteries, and about 12 or 14,000 men as near as we can find out. / they will probablly fire upon us from their Batteries if they dont retreat before we get there. some of our Company went out scouting last week down where the Ohio troops were fired upon and I went with them we could pick up canister shot in the fields and on the rail road track lots of them also canon bals it looked wicked around there. some trees a foot in diameter were shot off. Cannister shot are about the size of a medium sized hens egg.

 

our boys are in good spirits and anxious to have a brush. day before yesterday some of the texans Rangers took two prisoners one of them was a Capt in the Rebell Army. they were sent to Washington.

 

I would like to know wheather Danl Tracy has payed that $5.00 or not please answer me in your next. Give my respects to all tell Miss Witter next time you see her that I am looking for a letter from her Answer this as soon as possible and

                                   

Direct to

Washington Co. D. 3^d Reg^t of Conn Vollenteers

D.C.

U S of America

 

From Your Dutiful Son.

Isaac N Leonard

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